Interesting thought. But I am not sure a ncaa hockey player is going to make that much NIL money. Even someone like bedard.
I’m guessing less than ELC money
2023 NHL Draft June 28 and 29, Nashville, TN (Selections - 13, 39, 45, 86, 109, 141, 173, 205)
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Interesting thought. But I am not sure a ncaa hockey player is going to make that much NIL money. Even someone like bedard.
I’m guessing less than ELC money
MOGlLNY
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Bedard is much less of a big deal than whatever huge recruits are going to play for George / Albama / SEC team. So probably less than what he is going to make next year.
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
NHL Mock Draft 1.0: How does Scott Wheeler see the first round after Connor Bedard?
With the NHL Draft Lottery complete, The Athletic's Scott Wheeler tried to figure out which players could go where in the first round.
theathletic.com
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
I think you are underestimating the bonus money that a player on an ELC like Bedard will earn.
And I do not know how much he could be expected to earn with less than 500k Instagram followers. The non-football & basketball athletes that make a lot of NIL money do so largely because of huge social media followings that companies can leverage into sales for their brands.
I do not know that Bedard moves the needle all that much in that area. And I do not know how much he would get from other sponsors that he wouldn't get even more from on an ELC.
I expect this to be like 2005 where I watch the players I like the most go in the three spots before Buffalo selects.
Leonard yes, but I don't think he lasts. Perreault... eh. I'm not sold even with all the points.
Gabrielor
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For those who sub, this article is interesting:
theathletic.com
It's an interview with four scouts regarding the Vancouver pick at 11 which is near enough to the Sabres pick at 13 (just behind Arizona's second pick at 12). Almost all of them talk about how they think some teams might over-reach for defensemen out of positional desire rather than taking the player they feel is the best. It's a good read.
NHL scouts poll: Who should the Canucks be hoping for with the 11th pick?
To get a sense of the industry view of the 2023 draft class, we reached out to veteran amateur talent evaluators from across the league.
theathletic.com
It's an interview with four scouts regarding the Vancouver pick at 11 which is near enough to the Sabres pick at 13 (just behind Arizona's second pick at 12). Almost all of them talk about how they think some teams might over-reach for defensemen out of positional desire rather than taking the player they feel is the best. It's a good read.
Gabrielor
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It's ironically Wood.0.5? That's just a mean way of saying Benson.
My top 11 is basically a lock I'd say. Wood is a guy I like more than the next wave, so he sort of has his own island right now.
Jame's big on Danielson; he's more of a guy I'm 'fine' with. Not excited or crushed.
Fjordy
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Yeah, Danielson is more like "oh, look, Roslovic/Girgensons/(insert checking line guy here)". The defensive game is impressive... but that remains something guys can learn. I'm trying hard to not get too down on a guy or two *cough*Cristall*cough* because anything is possible.
Fjordy
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Gabrielor
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Order on the back half I'm still debating, but I think these are the top 11 players in this draft, and would much prefer to get one of them:
I barely have him as a top 30 pick. I'm sorry, he's just not my kind of player.
WhereAreTheCookies
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How do people feel about Barlow or Cristall? I've seen both of those names tossed around in the early teens also.
I haven't paid much attention to draft eligibles this season as I have in the past.
I haven't paid much attention to draft eligibles this season as I have in the past.
He's creative and crafty. He makes great reads and his passing is exceptional. And I may be splitting hairs that his skating is not great - I would take Benson over him say, but Benson's actually 2 inches shorter - and he's not large but he's just under 6'. Maybe he's more than a complimentary playmaking winger at the NHL level. Maybe that's enough. Stack him next to Smith and Smith's the better skater. Stack him next to Leonard and there is no comparison to the inside play and physical play in favor of Leonard.
We're already having a hard time projecting out where Rosen fits and Rosen's skating is excellent while Perreault's is kind of just okay. Rosen can chew up ice in just a few strides, I don't see that out of Perreault. Rosen's finishing, his shot and his shot variety is excellent. Perreault's is good but to me doesn't pop. *shrug*
Perreault could be amazing. Rosen might fail. But I can't stack up having yet another sub-6' playmaking winger who isn't either a burner or actively tenacious. Benson I would take at 13 because he's both tenacious and in short areas, quick. His top end speed is where he needs work - he gets caught from behind - and he's still only a generously listed 5'10".
Fjordy
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I like Barlow. I read about Cristall that he is probably the best playmaker in this draft.
I would have easily taken Benson at 13 too, it would have been a steal, but I thought he would go into the top 10.
Wood is skating overall. People roll out Tage comps because he's taller ("only" 6'3") and can score in a variety of ways but Tage is a lot better skater and also 4" taller. The scouts in that Vancouver centric article also question Wood's ignition.
Sabres
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I understand trading up in the draft doesn’t happen often, but this is a drastically different set of circumstances I’m hoping Kevyn takes advantage of, assuming he continues to fall. Michkov is a #1 overall quality talent, he’s only falling due to outside factors and the contract. We have built a good prospect pool and have a couple extra picks, use it to our advantage.
This is the sort of post that is going to bite me in the ass on draft day when they select him, but here goes:
I am one of those who watches Cristall and wonders why I'm bothering. He drives me nuts. His description reads a bit like Mitts - keeps pucks alive in small areas, creates offense, isn't all that fast or at all physical. I watch him and I honestly wonder what the f*** he's doing. Regular season, he got SPANKED in the dub games I watched. Playoffs, he was meh. I don't see things that I think make a pro player. He's too dispy doodle, he's breaking down people through their hands in a way that seems unlikely to work at the next level. Everything about the dude screams "no!" to me when I watch him.
Barlow is kind of old school. He's mature and that might be why he's excelled at his level. Is he Rossi, all built out and physically mature NOW against guys who are still built like string beans (like say Quinn) so the growth might not be there? I don't know, but those questions have come up before. I would take Barlow 100 times out of 100 if the option was between taking him and Cristall though. He rumbles a bit up his wing. There is a lot of "good Canadian boy" stereotypes to his game - he'll step into his man, he plays a harder game along the wall, he's got a shot that pops and goes to harder places to use it. And he's almost got a Tom Selleck level mustache already. And if the old Tick series taught us anything, there can't be a facial hair gap.
I would be surprised if Benson falls out of the top 11. I have him ahead of Smith, regardless of Bob's rankings and would put him at 5OA without issue.
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
It takes two to tango and historically GMs have been unwilling to move back for picks when we are talking about picks in the top 10.
There is no recent precedent that a GM would be willing to make a trade like you are suggesting. And top 10 picks rarely move on the draft floor when a team is on the clock. They generally move before the draft begins in deals involving roster players, like the DeBrincat trade that happened in the afternoon before the first round of the draft began.
And it's not that it doesn't happen often, it's that it has not happened since the first round of the 2008 Draft.
The Sabres have made the playoffs more recently than that type of trade has happened.
The Atlanta Thrashers took Zach Bogosian in that draft. THAT is how long it's been.
Turning this around for a moment though, not every team ahead of Buffalo is necessarily concerned with waiting either. The Habs and Blues have a bundle of additional picks this year (and next) and so volume isn't likely to work as leverage to move up even if finding a common value for the pick. The Caps can sit tight at 8, bank Michkov as another Russian phenom for later and who knows if that org can leverage things to get him sooner rather than later. The Penguins could use a star prospect who steps in as Malkin rides off into the sunset at the end of his deal. The Wings, particularly Yzerman, have history as taking Russians and so too even do the Blues with recently departed Tarasenko. I just don't see teams in that 5-10 tier willingly moving. They can sit there and take the star guy for the future.
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
The Buffalo Sabres Draft Board: Final Top 105 Rankings for the 2023 NHL Draft
The 2023 NHL Draft is about a month and a half away. We ranked 105 players based on the Buffalo Sabres needs.
www.expectedbuffalo.com
Tier 4: The Sabres First Round Tier
- If the Sabres go with a forward at pick 13, then it’s Oliver Moore that I’m chasing. My infatuation started this summer when I was doing some pre-Hlinka scouting. His skating is top-end and his ability to use his edges to create space and spin off of defenders is one of, if not the, best in this class. He has a great wrist shot and can beat goalies clean from distance. However, it was his dataset that solidified him as my favorite forward for the Sabres. He was a one-man transition king for the NTDP. He didn’t get to play on the superstar first line on the NTDP, but rather everything ran through him on the second line. He was also over a 58% involvement in offensive transitions with most of them off of carry-ins and carry-outs on his own stick. He sent almost a quarter of his passes to dangerous areas of the ice, and he was the one forward on the NTDP whose game translates the best to play down the middle. He’s the perfect third line center on a Cup contending team, but also has the offensive potential to play in the top six as needed.
- If there is one defenseman in this draft who has consistently shown they could play top line minutes and run a power play it’s been Axel Sandin Pelikka. While he doesn’t possess the size of Reinbacher or Simashev; ASP has impressed at every level he’s played at. He shows apt deceptiveness at the blue line with plenty of puck skill to be able to dance around defenders. He utilizes space well and attacks space to create more dangerous passing angles and scoring chances. He also will defend against top junior competition and wasn’t a slouch defending in the SHL as well. He may not be as pro-ready as Reinbacher, but I believe he possesses the highest potential ceiling of any defender in the draft.
- Gavin Brindley has my heart. He’s barely 5’9, but I find it extremely hard to find fault in his game. He’s a great skater with a two-way motor that makes him projectable up and down the lineup. He was involved in over 47% of Michigan’s offensive transitions. For comparison’s sake: he played on a line with Fantilli for most of the second half of the season and Fantilli was at 37%. If there is a reason he falls behind Oliver Moore it’s simply because he’s currently physically under-developed and the lack of strength has him get pushed off pucks going into the inside more than I’d like to see. If you’d bet that 15-20 pounds of muscle over the next 2-3 years will make him an inside threat then he could be the steal of the draft when looking back at this draft when his career is done.
- Reinbacher is physically ready for a leap to North American hockey. He possesses the size, the offensive awareness, and the skating to keep up in the AHL or NHL. His offensive game is more about space utilization and creating scoring opportunities through getting shots through screens, but he does flash the ability to do more offensively from the blue line. I see a potential top 4 defender who could develop into a power play quarterback.
- Cristall is a homerun swing and in my personal rankings slots in at #8. No forward has attempted more passes than Cristall has completed in my data set. He’s the premier playmaker coming out of North America. His skating mechanics are good, but his overall top speed doesn’t allow much separation from defenders. He is the last one back into the zone and will fly the defensive zone chasing offense. He’s either going to make a team extremely happy or find himself an AHL all-star.
- Danielson is a do-it-all center who had very little offensive support. He flashes very good skill, is responsible defensively, and gets to scoring areas at a very good clip for my dataset. However, he was a low volume passer as a center and I question whether or not he can be the primary distributor on a top 6 line.
- Ryan Leonard is a daft power forward. He utilizes brute strength to get to the front of the net and his puck distribution skills have improved tremendously throughout the season. He possesses a great shot and has the puck skill to go end-to-end and doesn’t need a puck distributor to generate his offense. He’s still a little undersized for his style of play, but he is perhaps one of the more projectable players in the first round.
Fjordy
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